


The Black Star

by Smilegirl64



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Archer Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders In Love, Demon Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Healer Morality | Patton Sanders, Implied/presumed death, Janus is a Snake, Logan is an archer, M/M, Mage Logic | Logan Sanders, Mages, No Smut, Patton is a healer, Roman is an elite, Snake Deceit | Janus Sanders, Virgil is a demon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27172391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smilegirl64/pseuds/Smilegirl64
Summary: Four people decided to go on a journey. Roman Prince, an elite who wished to discover the great treasures the world may hold. Virgilious Arrowood, a half-human half-demon who has pulled along but learned to enjoy the things they've found. Logan Star, an archer and intermediate mage who wished to discover more about the world. And Patton Heart, a healer and expert mage who can speak to animals who's just along for the ride.But everything changed when Logan was captured by an organized group of criminals. When they find where he was being held, it's empty save for a single book. Patton is devastated, as Logan appears to be dead. A week or so later, they hear about a cloaked thief named The Black Star. They've never spoken, only making muffled mumbling sounds from under their mask. They only seem to target libraries and small adventuring parties.One fateful night, the Black Star targets the group.All characters belong to Thomas Sanders.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 12
Kudos: 37





	1. Intruder

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at fanfiction so it probably sucks. Constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged!

Patton awoke groggily to footsteps in the night. He figured that it was Virgil after another nightmare. He slowly stood, ready to help him calm down, but when he turned to where Virgil's empty bag would be, it was occupied by its owner. He then heard the footsteps again, this time accompanied by something dragging on the ground.

"Who's there?" he said quietly, grabbing his staff from off the ground. Pivoting, he quickly caught sight of the intruder. They were wearing a navy blue cloak and holding a book with a lavender cover in a hand covered by a fingerless glove. It read, "A Guide to Emotions by Sunny Love." Logan's book.

The figure immediately tensed at the sight of Patton. They ran, quietly exiting the camp. "Wait!" Patton called, chasing after them. The figure stopped and turned, getting a better look at Patton in the moonlight. Patton took a hesitant step closer, vaguely recognizing them from a...verbal description? He wasn't exactly sure. Then, he caught sight of something glinting in the light of the half-moon. It was the clip holding the intruder's cloak on, in the shape of a silver star.

Patton's eyes widened as he realized who this was. He had heard of The Black Star in various towns before, but he never expected to actually see them. He took another step closer. "Black Star, I don't know why you're taking that book, but please don't," The Black Star presumably made eye contact with Patton, the shadow of the cloak covering their eyes. "Please," Patton pleaded. "It's the last thing we have from our friend, Logan." his breathing became shakier as he felt tears well up in his eyes.

The Black Star nodded understandingly, then began to make gestures with their hands that Patton recognized as sign language. Patton rose an eyebrow. "You can speak sign language?" The Black star nodded, continuing to make the pattern repeatedly. Patton focused on the figure's hands and read them.

"I'm terribly sorry."

Patton nodded. "It's okay, just..." he let out a shaky breath. The Black Star then walked forward and gently put the book in Patton's hands. Patton's eyes widened in surprise. The Black Star then began to make other gestures.

"Save it for when he returns. After all, he's not dead."

And with that, the Black Star disappeared behind a tree, leaving a stunned Patton behind.


	2. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil learns of what happened and starts to suspect some things...

Virgil awoke quietly, glad to have not had a nightmare that night. Unsurprisingly, Patton was already awake. Though, he looked rather tired. "Hey, Patton, did you get enough sleep last night?" Patton turned to Virgil. His eyes were dull and there were bags under them. Virgil moved closer, concerned. "I'll take that as a no."

Patton let out an exhale. "Something happened last night." Virgil's mind began to race. "What happened? Did we get attacked? Did you get hurt?" Patton shook his head. "No no, nothing like that. The Black Star came last night." Virgil's eyes widened. "The Black Star? What did they take? Did they try to hurt you?" Patton shook his head again. "That's just the thing. They tried to take Logan's book, but when I told them it was Logan's, they gave it back." Virgil raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Patton nodded. "Not only that but they apparently know sign language." Virgil felt something click in his head. 'Sign language?' "What did they say?" Patton paused, then continued. "They apologized for taking the book and..." he trailed off, tears welling up in his eyes. He looked at the ground. "What did they say?" Virgil asked softly. Patton took a deep breath, then continued. "They claimed that Logan's alive..."

Virgil's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?!" The shout was loud enough to awaken Roman, who shot up suddenly. He turned to the source of the sound a frown on his face. "Why did you wake me from my beauty sleep?" Virgil rolled his eyes. "Because Princey, something happened last night." Roman stood and walked over to the two, sitting down on his knees. "Care to share these events and possible revelations with me?" he asked. Virgil turned to Patton, who nodded hesitantly. 

Virgil sighed. "The Black Star came last night and spoke to Patton." Roman rose an eyebrow. "I thought they didn't speak." Virgil extended his arm out beside him. "They didn't talk. They spoke in sign language." Roman nodded. "What did they say?" Virgil took a shaky breath. "They claimed that Logan isn't dead." Roman smiled. "That's great news!" Roman then stood up, as did Patton and they got ready for the day. Virgil, meanwhile, let his mind wander.

How would The Black Star know that Patton knows sign language? And why didn't they run when they saw Patton? And how would they know whether or not Logan's dead? How would they even know who Logan is or what he looks like? It's almost as if...

He gasped. 'Hold on. I can't draw such extreme conclusions off of speculation. But what other sound conclusion is there to draw?' He sighed. 'I guess I'll have to get more evidence and see.' He then slipped out of his mind, stood up, and got ready for the day.


	3. Reminiscing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton hangs out with his snake friend as he thinks back.

As Patton slipped on his light blue robe, he thought about last night. 'Why was The Black Star there? Why did they want Logan's book? Did they know I can speak sign language?' Patton sighed and turned to where he left his scarf. Curled up in it was a small yellow snake with a tophat. Patton smiled, petting the snake with his finger, causing the snake to wake up. "Good morning, Janus," Patton said. Janus hissed in response. He held his non-dominant hand to Janus, who slithered up it and wrapped around his arm, leaving Patton to wrap his now warm scarf around his neck. 

Patton loved his pet snake. He was so cute and friendly. Patton had found Janus early in their adventures, a small injured snake hiding in a tree. Patton had healed it, which created a bond between the two. Nobody else trusted Janus at first. Logan thought it wasn't a good idea to keep a dangerous animal as a pet, Roman was scared of snakes, and Virgil didn't trust him in the slightest. Over time, Logan learned how harmless the snake was, as did Roman. Virgil though, was still suspicious around Janus, believing him to hold a dark secret.

Patton cooked something for breakfast with fire magic, while Janus snacked on some bugs. Patton enjoyed cooking, especially alongside Logan. He let out a reverent sigh as he remembered the times he had spent with Logan; teaching him to cook and how to use sign language, and him teaching Patton how to speak and write in Latin. Latin was a fairly complex language, so Patton struggled. In the time they knew each other, Logan learned more sign language than Patton learned Latin. Patton could read a few things, such as his and Logan's names and short words and phrases such as "hello," "goodbye," "I love you," "I hate you," while Logan could speak and understand entire conversations in sign language.

Patton sighed, extinguishing the fire and sitting down, Janus now having wrapped himself around Patton's arm again. Patton could use some comfort, be it human or serpent.


	4. Nightmare and Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone comes to comfort Patton after a nightmare.

Patton was walking through a meadow, the dew-covered grass glowing in the light of the full moon. Though Roman and Virgil were absent, he was well aware that he wasn't alone. He knew that Logan was with him. He knew that Logan would always be with him. Through good and bad. Thick and thin.

Right?

He turned to his glasses-wearing companion...who was gone. Patton looked around frantically for the archer, but he was nowhere to be seen. Patton felt the panicked energy of adrenaline sink in and his chest begin to burn. Everything turned dark. He began to breathe heavily, and-

Patton shot up in his sleeping bag with a gasp. It was a nightmare. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He stood up and left their small camp, careful as to not wake anyone. He sat down in the grass, the meadow bathed in the pale moonlight. The stars were on full display, the sky colored various shades of midnight blue and deep purple. Logan would've loved this. He always enjoyed astronomy. It was one of the reasons he left in the first place, as he wanted to see the stars without light pollution. He looked up at the stars and broke. He felt tears cascade down his face, letting out quiet wails of despair that seemed too loud. He took shaking shallow breaths as he cried. He didn't hear the quiet footsteps of the person in front of him, not noticing them until they wrapped their arms around him. Patton relaxed, still crying. He leaned into them. They wrapped their cloak around him, allowing him to feel the person's soft fingerless gloves and rough leather jacket. They emitted a warmth that only one person could possess.

'Maybe they were right all along...'

Patton wrapped his arms around the person. He began to become drowsy, partially because of his relaxation, partially because it was the middle of the night, and partially because of how drained he felt from crying. He fell asleep in the person's arms, the cloaked figure picking him up and gingerly setting him back down in his sleeping bag before disappearing into the night.


	5. Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Black Star gives Patton a gift.

Patton walked beside his friends, following a small dirt road through a forest, the afternoon sun being covered by the leaves of the trees. Patton smiled at Roman and Virgil, who were holding hands as they walked. A calm, cool wind was blowing, moving the leaves and causing the shadows to move slightly. Patton looked about as he walked, enjoying the serene nature of the forest. Turning back to Virgil, his horned companion appeared tense, his pupils slightly dilated as a soft rustling could be heard from a nearby bush.

Patton frown worriedly. "What's wrong, Virgil?" Virgil looked up at Patton. "I think we're being followed," he replied, alarm in his voice. Roman smiled. "It's probably just an animal," he reasoned. "No need to worry." Virgil tensed, but nodded, not believing Roman. As they walked, Patton could hear soft rustling coming from various places at various times: a bush to the right, a sapling to the left. He took a few breaths, attempting to relax. but those attempts were thwarted when the footsteps behind him ceased, being replaced by fearful shouts.

Patton pivoted, seeing that Virgil and Roman were encased in a block of ice. Only their heads remained free. Patton let out a gasp, igniting a fire in his hands. "Don't worry, I'll get you out," he said shakily, walking over to the block and wrapping it in fire magic. Suddenly, quiet footsteps were heard behind Patton. He turned, seeing The Black Star approaching him, an ice gremlin running around behind them.

"I'm terribly sorry," they signed. "That gremlin thought it would be a good idea to set a trap for incoming travelers." Patton nodded. "They certainly are mischievous," he said simply, continuing to melt the ice. The Black star looked up slightly, causing light to reflect off of something under their cloak: a pair of glasses. Patton frowned reverently, adjusting his own round ones. The Black star exhaled quietly, looking back at Patton. "There's something I've been wanting to tell you," they signed. "But I don't know how." They reached into a bag on their back and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, handing it to Patton. "So I wrote it to you in a letter." By now, the ice had been melted and the gremlin had left. As Virgil and Roman had approached to examine the paper, The Black Star quietly entered the forest again.

Patton breathed in and unfolded the paper. It was a letter written entirely in Latin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry about the lack of updates, my motivation is crap. It's coming soon, I promise.


	6. Projectiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little look back.
> 
> TW: Kidnapping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I'm really sorry this has come out so late, my motivation is literal crap. It goes out to my friend Asra who helped me write it. You know who you are. <3

"I mainly deal with arrows, such as light, shadow, poison, and others. What about you?" 

"Well, Lo, I tend to use blasts like healing and fire and stuff." 

Logan and Patton walked in lockstep, discussing trivial things. They always enjoyed their talks, as they made their walks much more enjoyable. It also helped distract them from the unease at the abundance of missing posters they had been seeing recently. They had seen around ten on that walk alone. It had made the whole group uneasy, but Janus and Virgil both seemed especially unnerved, the former wrapping around Patton's arm tighter than usual and the latter staying especially close to Roman.

"What if we combined them?" Patton suggested with a small smile. Logan smirked a bit. "Oh, you mean combine our attacks and magic?" Patton nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Like, if you sent out an arrow, I could set it on fire or something." Logan chuckled, interlacing his fingers in Patton's. The healer blushed, squeaking a bit. Logan chuckled again. "That idea is brilliant." Patton looked at the ground. "T-thanks." He looked at his feet with a grin, blushing more when Logan squeezed his hand. Logan's brow furrowed in confusion and concern. "Are you alright? You're rather red. Are you sure you aren't developing a fever?" Patton shook his head. "N-no, I'm fine..." Logan frowned. "Are you sure? You've begun to stammer. If it's because of the nervousness that is metaphorically permeating the air, it's alright. We're all a little uncomfortable." Patton hesitated, then nodded. "Y-yeah...yeah that's it." Logan smiled calmly, pink dusting his cheeks. Patton looked up into his eyes. "Y-you're so smart." Logan chuckled, the pink intensifying to red.

Despite his joy, Logan was rather confused. Where had that compliment come from? Why was Patton so unnerved? Why was his face so red? Why was his own face warm? Was he catching what Patton had? He didn't seem to be sick earlier, so why was he displaying symptoms now? Now that he thought about it, Patton's face turned red whenever Logan praised or initiated physical contact with him, especially in their language lessons. He exhaled softly, letting Patton go and trailing behind a bit. He pulled out a book he always carried around with him, the firm lavender cover smooth in his hands. It was imprinted with the words "A Guide to Emotions by Sunny Love." He was hoping that this book had the answers he needed. In addition to Patton acting strangely around him, he felt strange around Patton. Whenever they made physical contact or Patton complimented him or sometimes even when he looked at him, he felt warm and fuzzy, his stomach fluttering. Looking at Patton when he was sleeping was a particular example, as he never failed to smile and turn red at the sight of a sleeping Patton and he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was how peaceful he looked, with his closed eyes and steady breathing and the small smile that always spread across his face when he drempt, or his hair always fell in his face or how he always slept in his glasses which reflected the moonlight while at the same time slipping it through to his face, illuminating his freckles and making him look absolutely adorable. What was he thinking about again?

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a shout from Patton. "Look out!" He didn't get the chance to look behind him as a hand was cupped over his mouth and his hands were held behind his back. He felt a burning pain and everything faded to black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An unknown amount of time passed before he awoke. He was in a dark, musty cell, a small window his only source of light. Even then, the window was barred. He sighed, looking around. He didn't appear to be tied down, but his belongings had been taken from him. Also, he had glowing handcuffs on his wrists: magic nullifiers. He cursed to himself, then sighed. This would take some deduction to get out of and there was no one better for that than him. He walked over to the door, where, surprisingly, the majority o the light wasn't coming from, which he guessed was done on purpose so the prisoners couldn't see each other or where they were being kept, keeping them both literally and figuratively in the dark. He examined the two guards that were there. One was tall and thin and the other was short and stocky. He suspected that they could both hurt him. Then he noticed that the tall one had a ring of keys attached to his belt. Those were his way out, his key as Patton would say. He sighed. He was definitely going to get out of there. He pursed his lips, looking at the keys. He could either throw something to knock them out of where they were hanging, or use his magic to float them over. 'Float them over,' his head told him. 'If you throw something, they'll feel the pressure and think you're intentionally trying to get on their nerves. Then, you'll just get in trouble, possibly being put in a cell that's even harder to escape from.' He sighed, considering his other option. 'Are you sure you can even do that?' his brain chided him. 'Your magic's weakened by the nullifiers, so are you sure you can even use it?' He sighed. He was thinking like Virgil would, always doubting their choices and worrying about how things might go wrong. 'All the more reason to get out of here.'

His racing mind then had another thought: 'What am I going to do once I get out of here?' His answer was immediate, find the others. His eyes watered a bit when he thought about them. Patton was probably be worried sick and trying to find him, he blushed at the thought, Virgil was probably just generally worrying, and Roman...well, he wasn't sure about Roman. He had never really liked him, but tolerated him for Cl- Patton and Virgil's sake. However, he was sure that Roman didn't like him. The elite always gave the archer a glare whenever they made eye contact, stayed far away from him, and, whenever they did interact, he was always sarcastic. And not the fun, sarcastic banter that Virgil engaged in. It was angry, frustrated sarcasm that almost would be considered talking back. He sighed, forgetting what he was originally trying to do. His head was then brought to the last time this happened, when he was thinking about Patton. He had a habit of going on tangents, usually leading back to Patton in some way. 'Ugh, focus Logan, focus!' He brought his thoughts back to the question, then his answer, which brought up another question: how was he going to find the others? He wasn't sure if he was targeted for a specific reason or if he was chosen at random. He concluded that he was among the missing people he had seen posters for. There wasn't really much to tie them together, other than the fact that they were all powerful magic users, which would explain why they had magic nullifiers on hand. Then again, the ones he had were the only ones he had seen and that they might have been the only ones they had. In reality, he didn't know. He decided that he should probably go undercover, just to be safe. He looked around and saw a piece of fabric nearby. He walked over to investigate, discovering that it was a cloak. He slipped it on, feeling the warmth of the soft underside of the cloak.

He then jumped at the sound of commotion, sword fighting, and magic blasts outside. He rushed over to see what was going on before seeing a stray blast of red fire that hit the bars holding him in. He ran out, past everyone and everything. He quickly grabbed a bag as he ran through, going out with the group that was leaving. What he didn't realize in his haste was that there was an object that had been left behind: a little lavender book with a navy blue bookmark slipped inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He took deep breaths, hiding in alleyway as he attempted to process what had just happened. 'Let me get this straight: I was attempting to decipher my feelings when I was captured and managed to escape in disguise when either a group broke in or there was some sort of prison break. Right." He then suddenly heard crying coming from deeper in the alleyway. He immediately turned towards it, his eyes flaring a navy blue. He saw a short figure deep within, just out of sight. He approached cautiously so as not to scare the small person. "Hello?" They jumped, looking up at him. They backed away, into the wall. Logan stopped, crouching down to their level. "Do not worry, little one," he said, his voice soft. "I have no intentions of harming you." They nodded a bit, but made no attempts to approach. Logan pursed his lips and casted a light spell, allowing him to see this figure more clearly and for them to see him. They had mid length sky blue hair pulled behind pointed ears, a halo with orange flowers encircling their head. They had a royal blue cloak on, much like Logan's navy one. Covering their mouth was a seemingly blank black mask, but upon closer inspection actually had small designs stitched into it. Distributed across their face were multiple cuts and bruises.

Logan frowned slightly as he processed their appearance. He held out a hand, which glowed a soft, lime green characteristic of healing magic. They saw and inched closer, Logan letting them take as much time as they need. It took about five minutes for them to get within arm's reach, Logan extending his hand to them once they did. They took it and was enveloped in a healing aura. Logan smiled gently, glad his healing lessons with Patton had paid off. The child visibly relaxed as their injuries were quickly healed by the glow. Logan held his gentle smile as the glow faded. "Better?" They nodded in response, then slipped their mask off, revealing a small fang and handing it to him. He shook his head. "No, I can't." They gravely insisted, placing it in his hand. "It's okay. Take it as a thank you. Besides, I have an extra." Logan nodded, slipping it on. He felt a rush of energy flow through his body as he did so. The child seemed to notice and smiled, walking further into the alleyway. Logan gave a small smile before he heard something. It was upbeat, consisting of wind instruments, tamborines, drums and chanting: music from a tavern. Perhaps he could rest there. He took a deep breath and headed off towards the music with renewed determination.


	7. A Little Yellow Snake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn a little secret about a little yellow snake boi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably bad because I'm writing it without a full-on creativity flow (it's more like a drip right now).

Patton sat on his knees inside the tent, thoughts flowing through his head. 'What is this letter for? What does it say? I can't read Latin. Logan would be of so much help right now...' He sighed. He could talk to Janus about this. He always talked to Janus about his issues. He didn't offer much more than emotional support, but he could use some of that.

He stood and began to look for Janus, letter in hand. But...something seemed wrong. Usually, he stood out like a sore thumb due to his bright yellow scales, but he was nowhere to be found. Patton frowned a bit. "Janus? Where are you, Janus?" He checked all of the places Janus might be: in his sleeping bag, under his clothing, where they put the firepit, but Patton could see neither head nor scales of him. He sighed and left camp, looking in the general vicinity, knowing the small reptile couldn't have gone far. He then caught sight of a figure standing under a nearby tree, most likely Virgil. He approached him. "Hey, Virgil? Have you seen-?" Patton cut himself off, stopping in his tracks. He pursed his lips, his eyes narrowing slightly as he adjusted his glasses and examined the person. Upon closer inspection, they were not, in fact, Virgil. They were wearing a bowler hat and a black caplet, much like Logan's, their yellow gloves barely visible from Patton's angle. Patton felt his heart sink a bit at the sight of the caplet but didn't let it show through his voice. "Oh, you're not Virgil. Well, it's always nice to meet someone new! My name's Patton!"

At Patton's voice, the person spun around quickly, their hat almost falling off. They were indeed male but had a rather interesting appearance. Half of his face covered in green snake scales with a pink ring around one yellow, slitted eye. If Patton had paid closer attention, he would've noticed that the man's scales went down his neck as well. His pupils were dilated with fear, his posture defensive as he seemed to be preparing to either back away into the tree or attack Patton. "Whoa, hey, it's okay," Patton said softly, backing away and exposing his empty hands. "I'm not going to hurt you." The man relaxed, though he still looked scared. "I'll go get Virgil. He knows a lot about anxiety; he can help." The man shook his head vigorously and fearfully, causing Patton to nod understandingly. "Alright, we can get through this. What's your name?" The man tried to speak but it was like his voice got stuck in his throat. He took a deep breath and tried again.

"My name is Janus."

Patton nodded in acknowledgment. "You have the same name as my pet snake. Speaking of which, have you seen him? He's small and yellow and wears a top hat." He gestured to his head. Janus tensed a little again. "That is no coincidence, Patton." The healer raised an eyebrow as the snake man took a breath. A bright yellow light enveloped around him and flashed, causing Patton to clench his eyes shut. When the light faded and Patton opened his eyes, the man was gone from sight. Confused, Patton looked around before he heard a quiet hiss. Looking down, he saw Janus where the man once stood. With another bright flash, the man had returned. "I'm not a snake. I'm an animal shape-shifter."

Patton nodded. "That doesn't matter." Janus smiled a little, relaxing. "Why were you trying to find me? You usually talk to me when you want emotional support or want to voice your thoughts." Patton's eyes widened slightly as he remembered what he was doing. "Yeah, something happened with The Black Star today." He unfolded the letter and handed it to Janus. "They said it would explain things, but I can't read it." Janus nodded, handing the letter back to Patton. "You can talk to Virgil about it. And can't you read a bit of Latin?" Patton frowned slightly. "Yeah, but not enough to read this. Though, talking to Virgil might be a good idea." Janus nodded, turning back into a snake with a flash of light. Patton crouched and extended his arm, which Janus wrapped around. With a smile and a nod, Patton returned to camp, ready to speak to Virgil.


	8. The Prince and the Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little comfort after a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This bit takes place before Logan's disappearance and is more or less filler. Also, I like writing non-linear stories too much halp

Virgil awoke in the night, his eyes wide in a silent scream. His eyes glanced around frantically. Instead of the musky walls of the dungeon cell and the bonds that once held him to the ground, he was met with a starlit sky and the meadow where they had set up camp, his body inside of his cozy sleeping bag; it was yet another nightmare. He took a deep breath, processing his surroundings. "It's just a dream; It's not real," he muttered to himself. He repeated this mantra to himself over and over again until he heard someone stirring, which heightened his anxiety again. He nervously turned towards the sound, relaxing as he saw the dark figure of Roman sitting up in his sleeping bag, backlit by the light of the half-moon. Roman turned to Virgil, his empathetic expression barely visible in the dim light. He silently gestured for the young demon to follow, then walked away from camp. Virgil did so, sitting next to Roman in the moonlit grass.

"Another nightmare?" Roman asked softly, wrapping an arm around Virgil's shoulders. He nodded wordlessly, wrapping his arms around the elite. Roman leaned into the hug, using his other arm to run his hand up and down Virgil's left horn, gently following the bends and curves. Virgil flinched at the initial contact with his horn, then relaxed again.

Roman lowered his arm, wrapping it around Virgil. He took a breath and decided to do something he knew would calm Virgil down.

"Listen to me and I will try to

Sing you a song that makes you see

How much I long to be beside you

And how much you mean to me"

Virgil began to feel drowsy, lulled into a sense of safety and comfort by Roman's presence and voice. He had heard him sing this song multiple times before, so he knew what the lyrics were and what the melody was. He also knew that this song was also paired with an acoustic guitar instrumental, which was rather calming. He then remembered something very important: Roman would never hurt him. He wasn't like the other ones, who loathed him because of his existence, who wanted to destroy him because of his link to darkness and shadows, who viewed him as tainted because of his curved dark horns, pale skin, and dark magic. He knew that Roman would never do that to him, that he cared for him and would protect him from harm that his fellow elites might try to exact upon him for fabricated wrongdoing. Roman was kind, gentle, loving. He then blushed at that thought. As he slipped into unconsciousness, three words slipped out of his mouth, ones he would never expect to have said to anyone as a child, much less to an elite. But he knew he was safe uttering these words and that Roman might even say them back. Maybe not, but he could dream, right?

"I love you..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is called Sometimes A Song by Dan Fogelberg. It's a beautiful song.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton figures it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's Latin in here that is not directly translated. I wrote the note in English and just yeeted it into Google translate, so if you try to translate, it's probably not gonna make any sense.

As he walked, Patton caught sight of Virgil sitting in the grass. His expression was confident and...angry? He sat next to Virgil, crossing his legs. "What's up, kiddo?" Virgil let out a frustrated exhale. "I'm just...thinking." Patton took note of his angry tone and vague wording, figuring that he didn't want to talk about it. He opened the letter again, actually getting a good look at it in order to decipher it.

Cara Patton,

Me paenitet non vera tibi. Ego Nigrum Stella. Et captum, sed dissimulato, fugam navigatione carpserunt. Conatus accipere librum volo discere intelligere quod per passionem meam. Ego sumptus sufficientes cogitare et pervenit ad suum finem. Romantically te amo. Tu mihi in gaudium et solatium non est aliud can modo, in praeter affectus sum ego non comprehendere. Volo enim vos estis qui memento quod mirabile est, pulchram, et amantes persona. Nescio si animo reciprocantur et credo quod ego scire volui. Te amo.

Vale bene, Grex Logan stella.

Patton read the letter through a few times, attempting to make sense of it. Most of it was just gibberish to him, but he noticed one phrase that was written twice: te amo. Thinking back to his lessons from Logan, he remembered what that phrase meant: I love you. His cheeks immediately turned red. Did The Black Star...love him? That couldn't be right. He then noticed the signature at the bottom: Logan Stella. **Logan Star**.

Patton's eyes widened at this realization. Logan was The Black Star and loved him. Romantically. Virgil rose an eyebrow at Patton. "Are you okay, Dad?" Patton nodded, feeling tears well up in his eyes. "Whoa, what happened? What does it say?" Patton took shaking breaths as he attempted to explain. "Logan's alive," he choked out. "This confirms it." Virgil nodded. He had come to that conclusion the second he heard the news about The Black Star talking to Patton. "Not only t-that," Patton continued, tears flowing down. "B-but he...he..." Patton couldn't hold it in anymore. He sobbed, letting out cries of many emotions: joy, surprise, confusion. Virgil just wrapped his arms around Patton as he cried, letting him let it out.

Roman approached from behind, ready to help. Virgil just looked at him as Patton cried. Roman looked up, jumping back in surprise as The Black Star, Logan Star, quietly approached the three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congratulations, Patton! You're officially the last to know.


	10. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The man of the hour returns.

Patton looked up, hearing footsteps. He gasped quietly as he saw The Black star approaching, stopping within arm's reach. The healer stood shakily, taking deep breaths in a failed attempt to compose himself. The Black Star slipped off the mask and took off their hood to reveal Logan in all his glory. His eyes were as dark as Patton remembered, but they were tired and had a sense of enlightenment as if he had realized something. He looked scrawny, even under his cloak, as if he hadn't been eating much recently. His skin was pale, but his cheeks were red, creating a strange contrast. His hair was long and matted as well. All of these things combined to create the image of someone who had been lost for days and had finally found home again. Patton began to sob, falling to his knees. Logan crouched down and gently wrapped his arms around Patton, who tightly hugged Logan back, as if afraid to let go. "Never do anything like that again," Patton said softly, as if he was too tired to speak any louder. Logan sighed. "I'm terribly sorry," was all he said, a departure from his usual talkative nature. Patton held Logan tighter as he heard the voice he had missed. They held each other tightly, neither wanting to let go.

Roman let out a quiet squeal, then ran back to their small campsite. Virgil moved back, giving the two some space. After a moment, they let go, looking into each other's eyes. "Were you able to understand it?" Logan asked. "Not much, but enough," Patton held a relieved smile as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Logan looked down at the letter, then back at Patton. "Would you like me to translate it?" Patton nodded, handing the letter to Logan. By now Roman had returned, a lavender book in hand. Logan saw it and shook his head. "That won't be necessary, Roman," he said. Patton looked up at Logan as he took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and brought the letter to his face.

"Dear Patton, I'm terribly sorry for not telling you sooner. I am The Black Star. I was captured but managed to escape in disguise. I tried to take the book back because I wanted to learn to understand my feelings. I have had adequate time to think, and have come to a conclusion." he took a deep breath. "I love you romantically. You make me feel joy and comfort that no one else can, in addition to feelings that I am unable to comprehend." his voice cracked as he read. "I want you to remember that you are an amazing, beautiful, and loving person. I don't know if my feelings are reciprocated, snd I doubt they are, but I want you to know. I love you. Sincerely, Logan Star."

Logan lowered the paper, examining everyone's expressions. Virgil was smiling. It was small but it was there. Roman looked like he was going to explode, a large grin on his face. And Patton? He was looking directly into   
Logan's eyes. He stood up, tears in his eyes again. He extended his arms and wrapped them around Logan again, setting his head on Logan's shoulder. He smiled and spoke. 

"Te quoque amo."

Logan wrapped his arms around Patton as well, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. They held onto each other tightly, never wanting to let go. They weren't alone. They would be with each other through it all. Good and bad. Thick and thin. No more disappearing. No more fear. They would stay together. And love each other.

"Right?"   
  
"Right."


End file.
